MORE Magazine–July 16, 2009
Two Reinventors Crusade Against Lung Cancer
Click here to read in More.com
One lost a sister, (Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher) to the deadly disease. The other was a survivor. They came together with a shared mission.
Consider Deborah Morosini and Bonnie Addario comeback kids who connected by providence when lung cancer ripped through both their lives leaving a swath of devastation in its wake. Through gritty determination, the Weston, MA-based Morosini, a social worker-turned-pathologist-turned-crusader, and Addario, a former executive and San Carlos, CA mom of three, have reinvented themselves to wage war against lung cancer through the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation.
Morosini’s mission is driven by a commitment to carry on her deceased sister Dana Reeve’s legacy and by waging the war on lung cancer. Addario comes to the battle as one of the rare survivors. Together, they’ve rallied hundreds of volunteers, scientists, researchers, survivors, patient families and physicians from across the globe to raise more than $4 million for research for a cure.
Lung cancer stripped away everything inessential in their lives, both agree, and propelled them to put their passions to help others to use full-time.
From sales manager for a textile firm in New York City, to social worker, to single mom of two young sons who put herself through medical school, to pathologist/researcher, Morosini is no stranger to reinvention. But, in 2004, her brother-in-law Christopher Reeve died. The next year, her mom, Helen, died. In August of 2005, Morosini and her family were shuffling through security at Logan International Airport in Boston, when the television monitors announced the crushing news: Dana Reeve, 44, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. “It all happened in such a public way,” says Morosini. “Being stuck at an airport with the TV news repeating it over and over and over was devastating.” Seven months later, Dana Reeve lost her battle with lung cancer. That day, Morosini decided to make lung cancer her cause. “Dana and Christopher showed the world that despite illness, despite fate, despite forces we can’t control, the only thing we can control is what we leave behind,” says Morosini. “Now it is my turn to carry that on for them.”
That same morning of March 6, 2006, Addario also had an epiphany. A former executive for a large oil company and first president of the California oil trade association, Addario turned on the news to hear of Dana Reeve’s death. That was it. “I knew I had to do something to help the 1.3 million people who die each year from this wicked cancer.” By noon, she called her attorney and close circle of friends and drew up the papers to launch a foundation.
These days, Morosini and Addario are two women who have emerged stronger from their defeats and are reinventing themselves to remake the world around them. They offer practical tips for turning your passion for doing good into a career:
1. Ask yourself who you can help. Look around you for the people who may need and want your help. Explore what you can do to make a positive influence in their lives.
2. Do your homework. Check out the organizations, groups, and events where you can make a difference by volunteering and donating your time and talent.
3. Start by volunteering. The idea of immediately launching a foundation can seem overwhelming. Volunteering allows you to see where your talents are most needed in the cause and helps you deal with loss in a positive and productive way that memorializes your loved ones and turns your life into a positive direction.
4. Ask for guidance. When you’re ready to make a difference and put your passions into an organization dedicated to social change, don’t hesitate to reach out and seek help in finding the opportunities that exist for you. They are there; you just need to connect with them.
5. Apprentice yourself. Find creative ways to work around financial challenges. If you are serious about stepping off the corporate track and reinventing your career, but are terrified of leaving the financial security, you may be able to afford the new training by bartering your skills in exchange for lessons.
Both Addario and Morosini agree, the rewards far outweigh the hard work of rebooting your life to help others. “I would have never met the incredible people I have met otherwise,” says Addario. “There’s no turning back. I work every day to change those numbers from 15 percent survival rate to hopefully someday soon 20 and I’ll keep at it until it is 100 percent.”
Says Deborah: “In my case, the personal devastation and loss was such a public one. The world was saddened by Dana’s death. I knew I had a responsibility and obligation to her to transform that loss into something powerful that would carry on her incredible spirit. My goal is to take the world’s love for Dana and inspire people to move into action to help others with lung cancer. ”
Mary Beth Sammons is the author of Second Acts That Change Lives: Making a Difference in the World. (Conari Press, 2009). She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her three children. Write to her at marybethsammons@aol.com.
